Feed-water regulator for steam-boilers.



2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 PATENTED NOV. 22, 1904. J. WOODS & F. H. GRAVES. FEEDWATER REGULATOR FOR STEAM BOILERS.

QMxmvs APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23, 1903.

' N0-MODEL.

No. 775,412. 'P-ATENTED NOV. 22, 1904.

J. woons -& E. H. GRAVES. FEED WATE EEGULATOE EOE STEAM BOILERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 I NO MODEL.

A v 72.x

Patented November 22, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

JOHN WOODS AND FRANK H. GRAVES, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

FEED-WATER REGULATOR FOR STEAM-BOILERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 775,412, dated November22, 1904.

Application filed March 23, 1903.

1'0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOHN WooDs and FRANK H. GRAvEs, citizens of theUnited in feedwater regulators for steam boilers or generators; and itconsists in the certain details of construction and combination ofparts, as will be fully described hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side sectional elevation ofa water-column, together with automatic-operating regulatingvalvescontrolling the operation of the feed Water pump, all of which isconstructed and arranged in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is anenlarged detailed sectional elevation of the automatic-operating valvemechanism located between the boiler and feedwater pump whereby thesteam from the boiler is regulated and controlled. Fig. 3 is a similarview of the valve mechanism arranged between the boiler and thedischarge end of the pump. Fig. 1 is an enlarged detailed side elevationof the levers and their connections for operating the alarm. Fig. 5 is aplan view of the same. Fig. 6 is an enlarged side elevation of thealarm-valve and chamber, together with the crank-lever for operatingsaid valve.

To construct a feed-water regulator in accordance with our invention, weprovide a water column consisting of an annular shell 1, fitted with acap-piece 2, a float 3, arranged within said shell, avertically-arranged stem 4:, attached to the float, together with theother well-known parts and connections with the boiler. Attached to thetop of the cap 2 by means of a threaded socket is a valvechamber 5, intowhich the stem 4 projects. This chamber 5 is cylindrical in form and isfitted with a valve 6, having an inner bore 8 to form a steam-balanceand having annular ings.

Serial No. 149,012. (No niodel.)

port 9 above and a segmental port 10 near the base, the said port 10being in communication with the'inner bore 8. This valvechamber 5 isprovided with an exhaust 7 at the one side, and directly oppositeanother connection, 30, is made, the purpose of which will behereinafter described. Loosely connected to the stem 4: are two sleeves16, (for details see Figs. 4 and 5,) to which are connected, by means ofshort screws 17, a series of levers 15, the other ends of which areloosely connected by short bolts 17 to end pieces 13 and 18. One ofthese end pieces, 13, is formed with a threaded shank 14:, by means ofwhich the device is attached to the interior wall of the water-column 1.The other end piece, 18, has a bearing 24 at the opposite side of thecolumn 1, the said bearing being formed integral with a valve-casing 22,attached to the Walls ofthe column 1 by a threaded shank 28. Thisvalve-casing 22'is formed with a double seat in which a puppetvalve isoperated, the same consisting of a heavy upper or head portion 26, alower reduced part 25, and connecting-stem 27, as will be seen byreference to Fig. 6 of the draw- This valve above'described, taken inconnection with a pivoted bell-crank 22, operates an alarm 23 by thesteam-pressure within the column 1 when the float 3 reaches its highestor lowest point. This operation of the alarm 23 is accomplished by oneor the other stops 19 or 19 coming in contact with the sleeves 16 of thelevers 15, moving the I same up or down to compress the said levers 15,thereby operating the bell-crank 22 to lift the valve 25 from its seatand sound the alarm on the Whistle 23.

Arranged in connection with the feed-water pump (not shown) are twoautomatic-operated valves, the one regulating and controlling the steamfrom the boilerto said pump and the other controlling the feed-water tothe boiler, the latter consisting of the valve 50, suitably mounted andoperated in a shell 34:, connected at the one end by a pipe 32, leadingto the boiler, and at the other side to a pipe 31, connected to thedischarge end of the aforesaid pump. This valve-casing above mentionedis fitted with a stuffing-box 38, through which the valve-stem 49passes, the same beingfitted with a spiral spring 44 and regulating-nuts43, by means of which the valve 50 will remain seated unlessoverbalanced by the water-pressure from the pump. This valve-stem 49 isattached to a casting 39 by a threaded shank 41, the said casting beingformed with a chamber 40 and steam connection 46, the said connectionentering through a stufling-box 45 and is in communication with thewater-column by means of a pipe 30, joined by a union 48, and with thevalve-casing 5 (see Fig. 1) in a manner that steam may be admitted tothe said chamber 40 from the water-column or through the port 10.

Connected to the steam-pipe leading from the boiler to the feed-waterpump is a valvecasing 35, having a valve 57 and valve-stem 56, the saidstem passing through a suitable stufling-box 38 and is connected by apin to a vertically-moving chamber 54, formed in a casting 55. Thischamber 54 is in direct communication by means of pipes and 62 with thesteam-pressure in the boiler, the connection being made by astuffing-box 63, as shown at Fig. 2 of the drawings.

Arranged upon the top of this last-mentioned chamber 54 is another, 53,which is connected by a pipe'51 to the discharge end on the pump, thesaid pipe joined by a union 52 and entering the chamber 53 through astuffing-boX 45 in a manner that will permit the vertical movement ofthe chamber 53 without reference to its connected pipe 46. Attached tothe part 55, forming the steam chamber 54, is a lever 57, having abalance-weight 59, the purpose of which is to accurately balance theparts, as is obvious.

In operation when the water in the boiler becomes low the float loweringwith the water will cause a signal to be sounded at a predeterminedmoment through the mechanism described, and as the annular port 9 in thevalve 6 comes opposite the pipe 30 the steam in the chamber 40 may makeexit through the exhaust-pipe 7 and relieving the valve 50 of pressuresimultaneously with the introduction of a high pressure of steam throughthe pipe 60, which will cause the valve 57 to be raised from its seatand allow steam to pass from the boiler to the pump, which latter is notillustrated, but to which the steam passes from the pipe 31. Thepressure of water from the pump and through the pipe 31 overcoming thepressure upon the valve 50 will cause the same to unseat and will allowthe water to pass to the boiler. When the water rises in the boiler, thefloat rising to its normal position will cut off the communication ofthe pipe 30 with the port 9, and the port 10 will be in communicationwith the pipe 30,and the steampressure from the column acting upon thechamber 40 will cause the valve 50 to seat, and the back pressure ofwater through the pipes 31 and 51 will cause the valve 57 to seat assaid pressure overcomes the pressure of steam passing through the pipe60, thus shutting ofi the working of the pump.

Should the water in the boiler drop below the danger-lever, the collar19 will come in contact with the sleeve 16, moving the same downward andthrusting the connected piece 18 of the levers forward to operate thebellcrank 22, which in its movement will open the valve 25 and sound thealarm 23, and the same will be true should the water-level rise beyond agiven or set point, as will be apparent.

It is obvious that various slight modifications and changes may be madein the details of construction without departing from the spirit of theinvention. Therefore we do not wish to confine ourselves to theconstruction shown and described.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In a feed-water regulator, the combination with a water-column, afloat therein, a valve-casing communicating with the column, a valvewith ports therein positioned in said casing, a valve-regulatedwater-feeding pipe adapted to communicate between a boiler and pump, aspring-actuated valve in said feedpipe, a steam-chamber connected to thestem of said valve, a pipe communicating between said steam-chamber andthe valve-casing connected to said water-column, a valve-regulatedsteam-supply pipe adapted to regulate the passage-way for steam leadingto the feed-pump, a steam-chest moving with the stem of the valveregulating the supply of steam from the pump, a live-steam-supply pipeleading into said movable steam-chest, a water-pressure chamber movingwith said steam-chest, and a water-supply pipe communicating with saidwater-pressure chamber and said valve-regulated water-feed pipe, as setforth.

2. In a feed-water regulator, the combination with a water-column, afloat therein, a valve-casing communicating with thecolumn, a valve withports therein positioned in said casing, a valve-regulated water-feedingpipe adapted to communicate between a boiler and pump, a spring-actuatedvalve in said feedpipe, a steam-chamber connected to the stem of saidvalve, a pipe communicating between said steam-chamber and thevalve-casing connected to said water-column, a valve-regulatedsteam-supply pipe adapted to regulate the passage-way for steam leadingto the feed-pump,

a steam-chest moving with the stem of the valve regulating the supply ofsteam from the pump, a counterbalance-lever pivotally connectecl to saidsteam-chest, a live-steam-supply pipe leading into said chest, atwater-pressure chamber moving with said steam-chest, a Water-supply pipecommunicating between said water-pressure chamber and saidvalveregulatecl water-feed pipe, as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto IO signed our names in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN WVOODS. FRANK H. GRAVES.

In presence of- M. HUNTER, H. J. LEVIS.

